How many of you were introduced to the game by Brad?

I was wondering because it was seeing Brad play in that second livestream that really sold me on Starcraft II. After that livestream ended I looked up some commentated matches and started digging in almost immediately, and it was late at night, I was on vacation in a house with poor internet and all of my family on my Mother's side in it (well, half on the floor I was in) and I had just spent a lot of time waiting for slow buffering on the archived livestream. That livestream and Brad's enthusiasm of the game got me into the spectating scene, which soon, when I got home, sold me a copy of the game, which I loved. I'm curious for how many others this is the case. I'm also curious how others got into the scene because, if there's one thing that makes me sad about Starcraft, is that I don't see any way to get people to try it out who aren't into it already and I'm wondering what the best gateway drug is if there is such a thing. Obviously linking people to a what, 2 to 4 hour stream isn't going to work well, especially when the first chunk is installing the game, but it's the only way I can think of to introduce someone to it without overwhelming them completely.

So yeah, basic question, how many of you guys are like me and were made into Starcraft II enthusiasts by Brad, and second question, is there a good gateway drug I can throw at people to get them into Starcraft II?

@SeriouslyNow: I don't see how it's preferable that most people on Giant Bomb are into Starcraft because that's just the way they roll, I'd think it'd be preferable if Brad's advocacy and love for Starcraft II translated to people considering the game and figuring out if they'd enjoy it because that would mean that Giant Bomb is effective in making people's gaming lives better in addition to being quite entertaining. I mean surely that's a good thing right? That all these Quick Looks, Reviews, and Podcasts aren't just for shits and giggles but are for getting people aware and interested in the games they could be playing and the ones they should be playing.

@SeriouslyNow: I don't see how it's preferable that most people on Giant Bomb are into Starcraft because that's just the way they roll, I'd think it'd be preferable if Brad's advocacy and love for Starcraft II translated to people considering the game and figuring out if they'd enjoy it because that would mean that Giant Bomb is effective in making people's gaming lives better in addition to being quite entertaining. I mean surely that's a good thing right? That all these Quick Looks, Reviews, and Podcasts aren't just for shits and giggles but are for getting people aware and interested in the games they could be playing and the ones they should be playing.

I didn't mean it in a bad way and yes, of course Brad's support is great but...it's Starcraft! It's one of the most internationally recognised games in the last decade.

I've been watching alot of Liquid/Twitch.TV in the past 2-3 weeks (love Team EG and who can't deny iNcontrol is funnier as hell when he casts games on OneMoreGame). I really want to learn how to play SC2 but nervous in the sense of getting my butt handed back to me multiple times will kill the love for SC2 (not including the fact I'm twiddling my thumbs waiting for Diablo 3 on May 15).

Speaking of SC2, should I play the first SC for the story going into SC2 or does SC2 do a decent job with the backstory?

I've been watching alot of Liquid/Twitch.TV in the past 2-3 weeks (love Team EG and who can't deny iNcontrol is funnier as hell when he casts games on OneMoreGame). I really want to learn how to play SC2 but nervous in the sense of getting my butt handed back to me multiple times will kill the love for SC2 (not including the fact I'm twiddling my thumbs waiting for Diablo 3 on May 15).

Speaking of SC2, should I play the first SC for the story going into SC2 or does SC2 do a decent job with the backstory?

Na, my brother introduced the original to me back in 1999 when he bought it. I didn't really play much besides doing stupid things against the computer because I was just a kid, but it had me hooked nonetheless. I did enjoy seeing Brad play the game though because of how much I enjoy the game.

If you want a gateway into the game then try having them watch day9's funday mondays and his monobattles. Those are fairly light-hearted and amusing to watch without having to worry about how complicated the game looks initially. Then start to add in some more structured gameplay such as a particular streamer you like playing 1v1s or maybe even pro-competitions like mlg or gsl. If they reach a point where they say "ok, I want to pick this up for myself" then have them watch day9's newb tuesdays as they're trying to learn. Don't just throw them into watching pro's play though, because then everything looks fast and too complicated which may be discouraging. Plus, most of the humor the castors use might put them off if they're not familiar with it.

@Khadyn: They get you caught up quite well. While the game is installing they have a recap video playing. If you want to see some events for yourself though I would recommend watching them on youtube. Not really worth going back to sc1 just for the single player imo, but that's just me.

@Khadyn: I believe there is an update version of the SC story line in SC2 now so you could play that, the story develops well without the background knowledge of what happens in SC but its like reading the LoTR before the Hobbit :)

Or just read Wiki articles and such, I think posts have been made that describe the story arc of SC very well I think I watched a 5 minute video or something that plainly tells you what happens